Apparatus for separating volatile liquid from liquid containing same.



PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903. W. ERBEN & J. A. MOK. WASS. l APPARATUS PORSEPARATING V-OLATILE LIQUID, FROM LIQUID GONTAINING SAME.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1901.

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'me mus PETERS co. PMOYULITHD.. wnmaron. uc I 1 I UNITED STATES PatentedAugust 11, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER ERBEN AND J OHNA ASHMORE MGKEAN WASS, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA; SAID WASS ASSIGNOR TO SAID ERBEN.

` APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING VOLATILE LIQUID FROM LIQUID CONTAINING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 736,240, dated August11, 1903. Application filed September 21,1901. Serial No. 76.125. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern:` l

Be it known that we, WALTER ERBEN and JOHNAsHMoRE McKEAN WAss, citizensof the United States, andresidents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,haveinvented certain Improvementsin Apparatus for Separating VolatileLiquid from Liquid Containing Same, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of our invention is to provide eective means for separating avolatile liquid from one which is less volatile, and more particularlyan improved apparatus for separating the Volatile solvent fromwash-water used in the processes of extracting grease from wool, for 4which Walter Erben has 0btained previous patents,Nos. 654,529, 654,530,and 669,955.

Onei advantage of the improved apparatus herein described lies in thefact that the process in which it is employed can be continuouslyoperated, a further advantage being that the said apparatus willeectually separate the solvent from the water without car-4 ryingportions of the impure water over with the solvent into the tank orcondenser therefor.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isadiagrammatic representation ofapparatus constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is asectional plan view of th'e separator shown in Fig. 1, taken on the line2 2; and Fig.3 is asectional elevation of theV upper portion of theseparator, taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

The eXtracting-keir is represented in the above drawings at 1 and hastwo valved outlet-pipes 2 and 3,- communicating, respectively, with thebottomand top of the keir, so that the wash-water containing solvent canbe delivered `from either end of said keir. The pipes 2 and 3 dischargeinto a receiver 4, the upper portion of which is in communicationthrough a valved -pipe v5 with an airpump 6, whereby a partial vacuumcan be maintained in said receiver and the flow of liuid from the keirinto the receiver thereby induced or facilitated.

The lower portion of the receiver 4 communicates through a valved pipe 7with the suction end of a pump 9, the discharge end of said pumpcommunicating though a Valved pipe 10 with a chamber 11 at the lower endof a Vheater 12, which has another chamber 13 at its upper end. Thesetwo chambers are connected by a series of pipes or tubes 15, the spacebetween the tubesheets forming a chamber 14, to which steam or otherIheating agent is admitted through a pipe 30, the waste steam and waterof condensation being discharged through a pipe 31 at the bottom of thechamber. From the chamber 13 at the top of the heater a pipe 16 leadsinto the upper portion of a separator 19, the length of said pipe withinthe separator having in that portion of the pipe above a horizontalplane passing through its aXis a number of relatively smallperforations. i

As shown in Fig. 2, the end of the pipe 16 is provided with a T, this inturn having connected to it two short nipples provided with elbowspointing backward inthe plane of the pipe 16. Each of these elbows hasscrewed into it a pipe 17 of less area of crosssection than the pipe 16and having its end farthest from the elbow blanked off or plugged. Likethe pipe 16 both of the pipes 17 have their upper halves perforated, andthere are depending from the inner portion of each pipe a number ofpipes or tubes 20, whose lower ends are sealed by a body of watermaintained in the lower portion of the separator 19, the uniform levelof this water being secured by means of a fioat-lever 21, which operatesarock-shaft 22, having an arm 23, connected by a link 24 to an arm 25 ona valve in the drain-pipe 26 of the separator, this valve being openedas soon as the water in the separator rises above the normal level andbeing closed again as soon as the water falls to said normal level.

In operation the mixture of wash-water and solvent passes from the keir1 into the receiver 4 and from thence is forced into the lower chamber11 of the heater 12 by means of the pump 9. Steam or other heating agentis admitted at the top of the chamber 14 and imparts its heat to themixture rising through the tubes of the `heater from the chamber 11 tothe chamber 13. The speed of flow of the mixture of wash-water andsolvent through the heater is such that it enters the chamber 13 at atemperature su tticient to volatilize any IOO solvent present in thewash-water while still being below the normal boiling-point of the wateritself. We have found 200o Fahrenheit a desirable temperature.

Owing to the alkaline soaps usually carried in solution by Water whichhas been used for washing wool, as well as to volatile liquid itself,(usually naphtha,) the heated liquid may enter the pipe 16 in a foamingfrothy state. As it'flows toward the T at the end of the said pipe alarge portion of the naphtha or other volatile solveutis vaporized andpasses out of the pipethrough the perforatious in its upper portion,owing from the separator through a pipe 27 to a condenser or suitablecollecting-tank. The greater part of the solvent still remaining in thewash-water passes off as this hot liquid flows 'into the pipes 17, whilewhat little still remains is carried down with the wash-water throughthe relatively long vertical pipes 20, rises through the upper portionof the volume of water in the lower portion of the separator 19, andascends through said separator from the surface of the water. Whatevertendency the still hot wash-water might have to foam when part of thevolatile solvent has been separated from it is overcome by the use ofthese vertical tubes 20, which separate the said water into a number ofcomparatively small streams and allow these to fall into the body ofwater at the bottom of the separator Without disturbing it sufficientlyto give rise to the objectionable foaming action hitherto experienced inattempting torecover or separate solvent from wash-water.

It will thus be seen that by our improved apparatus we first heat themixture of washwater and solvent in a closed Vessel to a temperaturesufficient to volatilize said solvent .and then allow the heated mixtureto pass into an open conduit, (in the present instance the pipes 16 and17 within the separat-or,) in which the greater part of the solventseparates itself by vaporization from the soapy water and escapes to acondenser without carrying any foam or water with it. The water is thenpassed through the relatively small vertically-arranged pipes, and as itis discharged from the trapped ends of these pipes it gives up or freesthe last remnant of any volatile solvent it may contain.

By means of the float in the separator the Water is automaticallyallowed to pass into a drain as it collects, its level being keptuniform, so as to seal the lower ends of the tubes 2O and preventagitation or possible disturbance within the separator, which mightcause the formation of a body of foam.

The advantage of our improved apparatus over those ordinarily employedor hitherto available to the art is that the operation of separating thesolvent from the water can be carried on continuously, and the solventrecovered by the operation is free from any of the impurities containedin the wash-water, although it may in some cases carry with it asmallportion of distilled water. Moreover, large volumes of water can betreated at small expense by the use of our apparatus,

'so that it is commercially profitable to treat water for the recoveryof the solvent therefrom, even if the percentage of the latter containedin the water is very small.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. The combination in apparatus for separating volatileliquid from less volatile liquid in admixture therewith, of a heaterwhereby the temperature of the mixture can be raised above 'thevaporiziug -point of said volatile liquid, and a substantiallyhorizontal discharge pipe or conduit for said heater located partlyabove and partly below the liquidlevel of the heater, saiddischarge-pipe having two openings or series of openings, one of saidopenings or series of openings being so placed in the pipe as to permitof the escape of separated vapor and the other opening or series ofopenings being placed to permit of the escape of liquid, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination in apparatus for separating volatile liquid from lessvolatile liquid in admixture therewith, of a heater having a horizontaldischarge-conduit, said dischargeconduit being located partly above andpartly below the liquid-level of the heater, there being in said conduittwo openings or series of openings, one of said openings or series ofopenings being formed in the upper portion thereof and the second seriesbeing formed in the lower portion, substantially as described.

3. The combination in apparatus for separating volatile liquid from lessvolatile liquid in admixture therewith, of a heater whereby thetemperature of the mixture can be raised above the vaporizing-point ofthe volatile liquid, and a discharge-conduit for said heater in whichthe vapor is permitted to separate from the mixture, said conduit havingdepending tubes for the escape of the liquid, and said tubes beingtrapped at their lower ends, substantially as specified.

4. The combination in apparatus for separating volatile liquid from lessvolatile liquid in admixture therewith, of a heater whereby thetemperature of the mixture can be raised above the vaporizing-point ofthe volatile liquid, and a discharge-conduit for said heater in whichthe vapor is permitted to separate from the mixture, said conduit havingopenings for the escape of the vapor, and depending tubes for the escapeof the liquid, said tubes being trapped at their lower ends,substantially as specified.

5. The combination in apparatus for separating volatile liquid from lessvolatile liquid in admixture therewith, of a heater whereby thetemperature of the mixture can be raised above the vaporizing-point ofthe volatile liquid, a discharge-conduit for said heater in which thevapor is permitted to separate from ICO the mixture, said conduit havingdepending trapped pipes for the escape of the liquid, and means' formaintaining the level of the trap at a uniform height above the lowerendsof the pipes, substantially as specified.

6. Thecombination in apparatus for separating volatile liquid from lessvolatile liquid t in admixture therewith, of a heater whereby the`temperature of the mixture can be raised above the vaporizingpointofthe volatile liquid, a discharge-conduit for the heater comprising acentral pipe and flanking pipes connected thereto, said pipes havingperforated tops and the flanking pipes having depending tubes, a waterseal for trapping` the lower ends of said depending tubes, and a casingfor the separator, substantially as specified.

7 The combination in apparatus for sepa- WALTER ERBEN. JOHN ASHMOREMGKEAN WASS.

Witnesses:

F. E. BECHTOLD, J os. H. KLEIN.

